Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, for example, interact with one another, access content, share content, and create content. In some cases, users can utilize their computing devices to download, view, or otherwise access media content. For instance, users of a social networking system (or service) can, via their computing devices, access their feeds or other users' profiles to view various posts that include media content items, such as images. In another instance, users can utilize their computing devices to view or access images via web resources, such as webpages, websites, or online applications.
Under conventional approaches rooted in computer technology, transmitting an entire image at its full, original file size can, in some cases, require a significant amount of data. In some instances, users' computing devices may have limited data access, such as due to restrictive or costly cellular data plans. In some cases, the network conditions for users' computing devices may cause data transmission to be slow or unreliable. As such, under conventional approaches, receiving images to be displayed at the users' computing devices can often times consume significant amounts of time or resources. Accordingly, conventional approaches can create challenges for or reduce the overall experience associated with accessing or utilizing media content such as images.